This was one of the stories I had deleted, but I rewrote it, the past week. I added to and made changes to what I had, originally wrote the first time, focusing more on Ash. This will help understand the next two episodes of "Family is Where the Heart is," especially "Dark Side of the Moon."
Warning: There is swearing and child abuse. Please don't read if that makes you uncomfortable.
A Year at Harvelle's
Chapter 1
Ellen drove along the road, the A/C on full blast, as classic rock played on the radio. She was returning from the store, picking up supplies for the Roadhouse. It was a hot, summer day. No one would want to be walking out in the heat wave they were having. But, up ahead, she could see someone alongside the road. It made Ellen lift her head from where she held it against her hand she had, leaned on the car door.
Putting more on the gas, Ellen caught up to the person, seeing it was a young woman. She was walking, weakly, as if she had been walking for a long time. In her arms was a small child, no older than two.
Ellen pulled up, beside the young woman. Both of them were drenched in sweat. She came to a stop as Ellen, manually, rolled the window down. "Hey, you look like you could use a ride," she told the young woman.
"We'll be fine. Thank you," the young woman replied.
"It's over a hundred, out. Come on, get in. I have a Roadhouse not too far, up the road," Ellen pressed further, trying to convince her.
"I said, we'll be fine," she argued.
The little girl lifted her head, numbly. "Mommy, I'm thirsty." Ellen could see the child's face was, completely, red.
"We'll get something, soon, I promise, Sarah," the young woman assured her daughter.
"It could be sooner if you let me help you," Ellen told her.
The young woman continued walking.
Ellen pressed on the gas, a little, where she was driving right next to the young woman. "Listen, by the look of your daughter, she won't make it another mile. Let me help you. Get her in here and get some cool air on her."
The young woman sighed, heavily. She finally agreed. Ellen stopped so she could walk around the truck as Ellen reached over to open the passenger door. She opened it the rest of the way and sat the little girl on the seat, telling her to scoot over.
"Come over here, sweetie," Ellen told the little girl as she pulled herself, closer to her. Ellen switched the vents she had on her, to the child, making sure it was blowing on her, instead, using her hand to test it. She also rolled her window back up.
The young woman climbed in next to her daughter, shutting the door. Ellen helped the little girl with her seatbelt while she put her own on.
When both of them were situated, Ellen introduced herself. "I'm Ellen."
"Emily, and this is Sarah," the young woman answered.
"Sarah." Ellen gave the little girl a kind smile. "Pretty name you got there, Sarah."
Sarah shrugged. "I like this song," she said, weakly. She had her head, sideways, back against the seat. The radio was playing a Led Zeppelin song.
Ellen turned the volume up, a tad bit. She pulled back onto the road as she said, "Zeppelin fan, huh?"
Emily held her arm across the door. "Not sure how she's into classic rock. No one in my family listens to it. One day, I'm switching through the stations and Sarah tells me to stop when I land on a station playing this song. Since then, it's all she wants to listen to," she explained.
"What about her father?" Ellen asked. "Does he, or did he listen to classic rock? Maybe that's where she picked it up from."
Emily shook her head. "She never knew him. He left two week after we met. Said, him and his family had to move on."
Ellen looked between the road and Emily. "Was he a married man?"
"No, just loyal to his dad."
"Sounds like a friend of mine's son." Ellen looked ahead.
"I bet Daddy would come back if he knew about me," Sarah spoke up, full of childhood hope.
Ellen could hear Emily let out an annoyed sigh. "Shut up, Sarah," she told her daughter.
"He would," Sarah argued, back.
Emily snapped, "If you don't drop it, I'll spank you!"
Sarah dropped it, looking away.
Ellen shook her head. She was starting to feel some bad vibes from this young mother.
The Roadhouse appeared in view. Ellen turned towards it and parked on the side.
"This is your place?" Emily stared at it, in disgust.
Sarah removed her seatbelt. "Be nice, Mommy. Miss Ellen's helping us out," she scolded her mother.
Ellen smiled at what Sarah had told her mother. The kid looked two, but her vocabulary seemed advanced for her age. She could tell Sarah was a smart one. The three of them slid out of the truck.
Emily had Sarah walk in, herself.
"Jo, can I get two iced waters, please?" Ellen called out and asked a man behind the counter if he could bring in the groceries.
Sarah tried to climb up one of the bar stools, struggling.
"Need some help?" Ellen asked her.
Sarah stopped, to look up at the woman. "Yes, please," she replied and was lifted up onto the stool.
A young woman came out of the kitchen, holding two glasses of cold water, asking who they were for. Ellen introduced her to Sarah and her mother.
"This is my own daughter, Jo," she told them.
"Pleased to meet you, Miss Jo," Sarah said, politely.
"You can just call me, Jo, sweetheart," said Jo.
"Um, okay." Sarah looked over at her mother, for assurance.
Emily nodded.
She turned back to Jo. "Thank you for the water, Jo."
"You are very welcome." Jo gave her a smile.
Sarah tried to drink it down, fast until Ellen warned her, to drink it, slow or she was going to throw it back up. So, Sarah drank it, in sips, instead. Jo had went over to turn on a fan that was sitting on a shelf, behind the bar, making sure it was blowing on Emily and Sarah.
Ellen followed, lowering her voice to ask her daughter, "That girl look familiar to you?"
Jo looked back, looking at Sarah and her mother. "Who? The mom?"
"No, Sarah. Look at her. You don't think she reminds you of anyone?"
Jo looked Sarah over. Sarah had blond hair, tied back in a ponytail and freckles all across her face. Her eyes was even a green color. She shrugged. "Doesn't look like anyone I've met."
Ellen stared at Sarah. She swore she'd seen another child in close resemblance to Sarah. Finally, she asked them, "You guys hungry?"
Sarah lit up. "Yeah," she said. "Do you have bacon cheeseburgers?"
She couldn't help snicker at that. "You bet we do, sweetheart."
"Sarah, no," Emily shook her head, at her daughter, and told Ellen, "I don't have any money on me. Let us just finish our water and we will be on our way."
"It's on the house, actually," Ellen assured Emily. "If you need a job, we could use someone to wash dishes."
Emily eyed the older woman, suspiciously. "Why are you acting so generously?" she asked.
"Around here, we look out for folks in need. If anyone is in trouble, we will do our best to help them. Anyone who comes through that door, gets treated like family," she explained.
"Family is what we're running away from." Emily stared down at her half drank water.
"I'm sorry to hear that. You're welcome to stay here as long as you need. We have a spare room in the back. No rent for the first month, but after that, if you still want to stay here, I'm gonna have you, start pitching in with the bills of this place. Deal?"
"Sure. Thank you," Emily agreed.
For the next few weeks, Emily and Sarah stayed at the Roadhouse. Emily spent most of the time, in the back, washing the dishes. Now and then, if things were busy, like on Friday and Saturday nights, Jo would ask her to help wait tables.
Sarah ran around the Roadhouse, playing and talking to the customers. Her favorite was pestering Ash, the guy who usually worked the bar. Ash didn't like having a kid running around. Not at first, anyway. He learned to like Sarah more than Emily, at least. Emily had tried to flirt with him and Ash rejected her. Since then, Emily gave him the stink eye. He had come to see how Emily talked and treated her daughter, and how Emily would talk to Ellen and Jo. That was a turn-off in his book.
One day, during some down time, when there was hardly any customers, Ash decided to start a game of one, of pool. He was lining up his first shot when Sarah wandered over. She grabbed onto the edge of the pool table, trying to pull herself up.
"Can I play?" she asked him.
"You can barely see over the table, there," he said, glancing over at the little girl before looking back at the white ball.
Jo had overheard the conversation and grabbed a milk crate from beside the bar, bringing it over to set beside Sarah, up side down. "Here, you can stand on this, Sarah."
Sarah thanked her. She stepped onto the crate, now able to lean her hands on the edge.
Jo eyed the guy. "Play nice, Mullet Boy," she warned him.
Ash rolled his eyes as Jo walked away. He leaned the pool stick against the table and gathered the balls back, together, using the triangle. Ash explained the rules to Sarah, taking the first shot. Since one went in, he went again.
"How come you get to go again?" she asked.
"Because, I got one in one of the holes," he told her. "You go until you miss." Ash went for another two turns before Ellen wandered over, stopping behind Sarah.
"You watching Ash, sweetie?" she asked Sarah.
Sarah up, looking behind her. "He's teaching me to play. But, so far, Ash hasn't missed yet," she explained.
"Ash, are you going easy on her?"
"Why? That won't teach her anything?" Ash lined up his next shot. Just as he hit it, Ellen, suddenly made a coughing noise, making Ash mess it up. Ash glared at the woman as she snickered.
"Looks like it's Sarah's turn." Ellen asked for the pool stick, taking it from him. She then helped Sarah line up a good shot. Sarah hit the white ball, knocking one of her balls into the far, corner pocket.
"I did it, Miss Ellen!" Sarah said, happily.
"Yeah, great job, sweetie. Give me, five!" Sarah turned around to slap Ellen's hand with hers. Even Ash felt proud, but he wasn't about to show it.
Sarah wanted to hit the next one on her own. She hit the white ball into one of hers, but none of them went that time. Throughout the rest of the game, Sarah did pretty good for a two-year-old, but in the end, Ash won.
"Hey, kid," he told Sarah.
"Yeah, Ash?" Like Jo, Ash wouldn't let Sarah call him, Mister Ash. It sounded too weird, to the guy.
Ash held out his hand as Ellen had done. Sarah took the hint what he was getting at, and slapped his hand. "Good game, kid."
Jo had returned, with a camera, this time. She snapped a picture of Ash, Ellen, and Sarah, standing around the pool table. While she was winding the film, to the next one, Emily came out of the kitchen, heading for the bedrooms.
"Let's go, Sarah. Time for your nap," she called over to her daughter.
Sarah moaned like a kid would.
Emily grew firmer. "Let's go, Sarah Lynn."
"Can Miss Ellen tuck me in?" she asked.
"I said, let's go, Sarah Lynn. Do I need to spank you?"
A surprise to everyone, Ash spoke up. "Hey, lay off the kid! She asked a logical question," he told Emily off.
Emily glared at him and turned back to Sarah. "Now, Sarah Lynn!"
Ellen nudged Sarah, forward, trying to avoid trouble for the little girl. However, when Sarah was in range, Emily sent her towards their room, with a hard slap to her bottom. Sarah cried out, grabbing it. She cried all the way down the hallway.
Jo tried to make a move but Ellen stopped her own daughter, saying they couldn't interfere, no matter how much they hated it. Emily was Sarah's mother. They had turned back to Ash.
"Ash, where did that come from?" asked Jo.
Ash remained silent, tossing the pool stick onto the table.
"I think Sarah's growing on him," Ellen told her, grinning over at Ash.
Ash walked past them, heading for the bar. "No, I just don't like how that bitch treats her. Reminds me of when my old man would take a swing at me." That may have been true, but Ellen could see the kid really was growing on him. It was only a matter of time when Sarah wormed her way into the rest of his heart.